JPND

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s
disease are a global health, economic and social emergency. More than 40
million people worldwide are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s
disease and related disorders – the most common class of
neurodegenerative disease – and this figure is expected to significantly
increase in the coming decades. Yet, with the exception of a few cases,
no curative treatment exists, and the basic underlying mechanisms of
many neurodegenerative diseases remain poorly understood.

With this in mind, JPND has identified an urgent need for targeted
investment to better understand the fundamental links between different
diseases.
There is already clinical, genetic and biochemical
evidence that similar molecular pathways are relevant in different
neurodegenerative and other chronic diseases. This call, which follows a
similar call successfully launched by JPND in 2013, will see €23
million
made available to applicants from 20
countries
. It invites proposals for ambitious, innovative,
multinational and multidisciplinary collaborative research projects to
perform network analyses across diseases in order to further elucidate
the common underlying mechanisms involved.
This combined analysis
could lead to a re-definition of clinical phenotypes and new approaches
in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

According to Professor Philippe Amouyel, Chair of JPND:

“JPND recognises that a critical step in the path to effective
treatments or preventive strategies for neurodegenerative diseases is a
deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these diseases.
What recent research has made clear is that these conceptual
advancements will require greater thinking across traditional clinical
boundaries. With this call, some €23 million will be made available to
applicants to develop highly specialised cross-border projects that
could lead to a better understanding of the biological underpinnings of
neurodegenerative disease. Our hope is that these developments will in
turn lead to new, outside-the-box diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.”